This invention relates the programming of a security system control panel to enable communication between the wireless transmitters of the security system and the control panel, and in particular to a device and method for entering the identification number of the wireless transmitters to the control panel without receiving a radio frequency transmission from the wireless transmitter.
Most radio frequency (RF) wireless security systems available today, such as those manufactured by ADEMCO, generally employ a multiplicity of wireless transmitter products that transmit RF information to a common receiver/control panel. The information transmitted typically describes the state of various sensors associated with each transmitter, such as smoke, motion, breaking glass, shock and vibration detectors, door, window, and floor mat switches; etc. The receiver receives the RF information and provides a digital data message to the control panel. The control panel decodes the data messages and performs activities based on the information it receives in the messages. The identification number (ID) of the transmitter is also included in the message to identify to the control panel which particular transmitter has sent the message, thereby allowing the control panel to perform the appropriate action.
During installation of a security system, an installer mounts a conventional control panel and the appropriate sensor/transmitters that are required for the site. Each transmitter contains an ID, which has been programmed during manufacture, to differentiate it from other transmitters in the system. In order for the control panel to be responsive to a transmitted message, the ID of all the transmitters in the system and the type of sensor data they are transmitting must be programmed or xe2x80x9clearnedxe2x80x9d by the control panel. To accomplish this, the installer first initiates an install mode by keying in the install code into the security system console. The installer next performs an install routine which include entering the ID of each transmitter into the control panel. Currently, the installer enters the ID into the control panel in one of four different methods: 1) keying into a console the ID from a label attached to the transmitter case; 2) keying in the ID via a download from a remote office; 3) placing the transmitter into a xe2x80x9clearn modexe2x80x9d and transmitting RF ID data over the air which is received and stored into the control memory; and 4) using a transmitter with a light emitting diode (LED) to communicate the ID to a light sensitive device located in the receiver. Once the control panel receives the ID it stores it into its memory and continues the installation routine until the installer keys in the normal operation code into the security system console.
The current techniques of entering the ID into the control panel have several disadvantages. Both keyed methods require a label, which may become detached and lost during transportation of the transmitter. Both of these methods are also prone to human error. The RF learning method which requires an RF transmission of data over the air, may be interfered with by RF transmissions from other transmitters in the vicinity, and the LED learning requires extra hardware (i.e. cost) in each transmitter and receiver.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing each installer with a low cost installation device, which allows the IDs to be learned without these difficulties. The installation device interfaces easily to the transmitters and the control panels by cables with standard connectors. The cables protect the data from being interfered with by other RF transmissions. The method of operating the installation device is simple and constant requiring no keying and providing little opportunity for human error. Since the installation device is used for many security systems installations, the cost is spread out and is minimal compared to the cost of installing LEDs in each transmitter and light sensitive devices in each receiver.
In addition, the device of the present invention may be used in a factory that produces large quantities of transmitters. The device may be incorporated into test equipment that generates labels for the transmitters, thereby alleviating the possibility of RF crosstalk from nearby equipment in the factory also transmitting RF signals.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an installation device and a method for transferring an identification number of a wireless transmitter to a control panel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an installation device and a method that does not require the reception of an RF transmission in order for the control panel to learn the unique ID of a wireless transmitter.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an installation device that is easily connected to the wireless transmitter.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an installation device that is easily connected to the control panel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an installation device that communicates to the control panel using a common interface bus.
In accordance with these and other objects, the present invention is a device and a method used during installation of a security system that allows the security system control panel to learn the IDs of the wireless transmitters in the system. Security systems typically comprise a plurality of wireless transmitters, each with a unique ID. The wireless transmitters transmit RF messages that describe the state of a sensor, for example glass breakage or motion detected. The RF messages are received by an RF receiver and are converted to digital messages which are transmitted to the control panel via a hardwired data bus. The control panel decodes the ID and the data from the messages and performs the appropriate actions, such as sounding an alarm. In order for the control panel to perform the appropriate actions, it must be programmed to recognize the IDs in each message and to associate the IDs with a particular sensor. This is accomplished during installation when the installer causes the control panel to learn the ID of each transmitter in the system. The present invention is a unique device and method that allows the control panel to learn the IDs of each transmitter.
The installation device is connected to the transmitter at its battery terminal and to the control panel using the same interface bus the receiver uses to interface to the control panel. The installation device comprises a power supply means, a first and second interface means, monitoring means for monitoring the current drawn from the power supply means, and processing means for producing a digital signal based on the current monitored. The installation device may be contained in a hand holdable housing, or may be integrated within a console. The first interface means is a pair of test leads that connect the power supply means of the installation device to the battery terminal of a transmitter. When the transmitter transmits data, current is drawn from the power supply of the installation device. The current drawn corresponds to the transmitted data, being higher when the transmitted data is a logic xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and lower when the transmitted data is a logic xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d. The monitoring means in the installation device is comprised of a resistor that generates a voltage level based on the current drawn from the power supply means and a comparator that compares the generated voltage level to a constant voltage level and produces a digital signal based on the comparison. The constant voltage level is set so that when the transmitter transmits a logic xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d the digital signal from the comparator is also a logic xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and when the transmitter transmits a logic xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d the digital signal from the comparator is also a logic xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d. The digital signal from the comparator is read by a microprocessor and transmitted via a common interface bus. A bus cable connects the microprocessor output to the interface bus. The console and the receiver are also connected to the interface bus, thereby creating a common bus input into the control panel.
The method of programming the control panel with the ID of a transmitter comprises the steps of connecting a power supply means to a power input port of the transmitter, initiating the transmitter to transmit its ID, monitoring the current drawn from the power supply means, producing a digital signal based on the current monitored, and providing the digital signal to the control panel for storage therein. An important feature of the present invention is that although the transmitter needs to transmit its ID, the receiver does not need to receive the ID in order for the control panel to learn the ID. This feature makes the present invention particularly useful in a manufacturing facility where there is RF interference from nearby equipment that may interfere with the RF transmission of the ID.
The method of the present invention may also be performed at an installation location during the installation mode, which occurs when the initialization command is keyed to the console. The method may also include removing a battery, if present, from the power input port of the wireless transmitter prior to the step of connecting the power supply means to the power input port of the wireless transmitter. Lastly, initiating the transmitter to transmit the identification number is accomplished by connecting the power supply means to the power input port or by activating a manual switch located on the transmitter, that causes an RF transmission of the transmitter""s ID.